The governor of Amadi state Joseph Ngere Pachiko today denied receiving any official report on the alleged gang-rape of a young girl by government soldiers at Payi village last week.
“Yes, I heard about the rape case in the village, where SPLA soldiers have been accused of involvement in it. I could not take any action because the complaint was not presented officially,” said Pachiko.
“I want to confirm the case first from a medical doctor, and I also want the victim to be brought to me so that I can decide what to do,” he added.
On Wednesday, Lt. General Wesley Welebe Samson, SPLA-IO Deputy Chief of Staff for Training, accused three government soldiers in Payi village of gang-raping an 18-year-old girl on 4 June.
According to the rebel commander, the rape victim is a granddaughter of the Episcopal Church evangelist in Lui area. He appealed to rights bodies to take the rape victim to hospital for medical treatment and take the perpetrators to court.